Carry‐over effects of environmental stochasticity of the California Current on body condition and wing length of breeding Black‐vented Shearwaters (Puffinus opisthomelas)

Abstract

Recent climatic variation has led to a change in size or mass in some species. The Black-vented Shearwater Puffinus opisthomelas is endemic to the California Current System, a highly variable system, giving us cues as to the effects of interannual variability on predators. Here, we report the results of a comparison of biometrics measurement in the short term, 4 years, with different environmental conditions. We found that environmental variability has a direct effect on the body condition of the species, affecting not only body mass but also wing length, with shorter wings as a carry-over effect of adverse conditions. © 2021 British Ornithologists' Union